Neck pain - please tell me what actually worked for you

[onmylastnerveseriously]

I’ve had neck/shoulder pain for three weeks now, caused by hunching over a laptop at too low table rather than my usual desk. I’ve been on paracetamol, codine and ibuprofen. Gave in and called GP who prescribed naproxen.

I’ve seen physio who thinks just a lot of tension. Massage/neck stretchers seem to irritate it.

Im in constant pain. Please tell me what worked for you. I’m a desk worker. I need to work. Mid forties

@CornishPorsche don’t worry I’ve no intention of going near one! Quacks the lot of them

@Wellbeing24 That’s absolutely awful that it got to the point you needed surgery.

physio checked my grip etc. but I think I have psychosomatic tinging at this point as it’s so stressful!

If I get the start of neck pain, I lie on the bed - with pillows removed on https://amzn.eu/d/0cSYkS7S one of these for about ten minutes.

Lay on your bed with you head dangling over the side for a bit. Seems to work for me to cancel it the hunching over aches

Are you wearing glasses for computer work? I had the same problem until I got occupational lenses for computer distance. Neck problem disappeared within one week.

I mean if you know what’s caused it you have to stop doing that.

I suffer terrible neck pain. I do this regularly and it really helps. You don’t have to have yoga experience to do this.
Hope it helps x

Osteopaths are medically trained. It's chiropractors who aren't. I would definitely give it a go as they can help with the immediate pain and give you exercises for long term prevention.
I'm assuming you're not continuing to sit in the same position knowing the damage it's causing. 😬 Are you an employee or self-employed? It you have an employer then I'd be asking for a decent work area.
If you need to keep on using a low table you could either sit on the floor or, if that's too uncomfortable, find something to raise your laptop to eye level. Even just a pile of books. It makes a huge difference to have good posture, especially if you're sitting in the same position for hours.

One of the neurological tests is standing with your feet a little bit apart and closing your eyes.....if you feel like you may fall over that could indicate an issue.

Another is holding out your hands palm down - does your little finger rest closely to the ring finger or is there a gap? Try not to consciously hold your fingers together, just relax and see what happens. Again could indicate an issue, I was told repeatedly it was just stress or hormones or age - basically in my head and not real 😞

Don’t be dismissed, your instinct matters! 💐

Should it rest next to the ring finger, or should there be a gap?

I had neck pain radiating over my left shoulder…felt like sciatica back in October.
I had weekly physio,naproxen,cocodamol and memory foam pillow. I flew to Australia mid November and took my pillow with me! I also had a heated scarf that I wore whenever it started getting bad again.

My chronic neck pain was solved by the dentist!! I had tried all the stretches, physio, pillows, heat thingys etc etc, but what fixed it was my dentist realising I was grinding my teeth. I didn't know I did it, and neither did my husband who is a light sleeper. She got me a mouth guard to wear at night and after a week or 2,problem solved. Another sign that that was it was frequent headaches, and headaches that appeared or remained in the morning

For me, osteopathy and time.

I did drugs, heat and physio and they all helped a little bit but nothing major was changing, I was still clock watching for the next dose and crying out when driving (which I have to for work). I don’t really do complementary medicine and would never go near a chiropractor especially for necks, but osteopathy does at least turn up on nhs recommendations as ok for back pain, so in desperation I tried one and she just fixed it completely in two sessions.

Diazepam!

A TEMPUR smartcool cloud soft pillow.

I had neck pain and spasm from being late twenties for about 25 years ! I saw a pain specialist privately who did dome botox injections into the muscles . It worked like a dream for 3 months at a time . Other than that diazepam low dose works very well and heat .

I have this thing that looks like a travel pillow but you put it on and then slowly inflate it so that it gently stretches your neck. Looks ridiculous but really does work!

I've suffered from neck and shoulder pain for years and tried all sorts. I've recently started to see a massive improvement with lifting weights, pushup and pilates (under supervision of a physio).

I turns out I was really weak throughout my shoulders and back, and that combined with being sedentary was causing the pain into my neck.

Getting stronger has made a huge difference.

@onmylastnerveseriously when my neck muscles spasmed in my sleep i needed a neck brace, muscle relaxers and 6 months the 1st time but its never been right since and flairs every so often 30+ years later

Chinese neck and shoulders massages (agony when they are grinding at you with an elbow but they really helped.) Never sleeping with your shoulders uncovered. And sorry but I swear by chiropractors!

For me a laptop stand really helps when working with a laptop- I use a separate mouse and keyboard with it
I use this one amzn.eu/d/09Rp8Rqm

Yes, the special pillow has really helped me. I try not to sleep with my head bent forward too.

Massage, osteopath, semi-supine relaxing (Alexander Technique), the same but using a neck cloud (got a cheap one on Amazon). Acupuncture for acute pain or just to get some relaxation!

I use my mouse left handed, that’s helped hugely. Never ever use a tracker mouse.

Tom Morrison The Simple Mobility Method, but specifically the neck stretches, if you do them daily they will help a lot.

Reformer Pilates is life-changing. After about 18 months of it I started lifting weights. My pecs are no longer tight and my lats etc are really switching on. If I get a neck spasm now (v rarely) I can usually see it off within a day, which is incredible. Pilates is expensive, but a lot more fun than osteopathy and comes with huge benefits. I no longer need any treatments, just my regular classes and self-care.

Meditation and just relaxing as much as you can will also help.

💐

Try acupuncture, or a physio for a massage.
Bio freeze gel or deep heat spray l, depending whether you feel like warm or cold helps

Shoulder massage. I suffered for months with daily tension headaches. Tried all sorts of remedies and the only thing to work was massage. At one point I was going weekly! I still remember getting off the bed after the first one and my shoulders feeling 6 inches lower! The first one really hurt as the muscles were so tight.

Treat your own neck by Robin Mckenzie. He includes 'safety checks' to check that the exercises are safe to use for your particular problem.

His back book is great too, as is his combination neck and back book. I first used his method when a Danish physiotherapist treated my badly trapped sciatic nerve (I could barely move due to the pain), using his methods. She recommended the book to me for future reference. His physio exercises have kept me mobile and pain free for decades.

Another teacher here! Hot water bottle, osteopath for flare ups , exercises and a lot of complaining and sighing. School funded a cushion, chair and laptop stand. Recently discovered Flarin. It's ibuprofen in a soft capsule. Honestly works better.